Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is generally directed to methods for making a medical article (for example, catheters, cannulas, and sheaths) for the introduction and/or delivery into a body space, such as, for example, an artery, vein, vessel, body cavity, or drainage site. The disclosure is also directed to such medical articles and to access devices that place such medical articles into an artery, vein, vessel, body cavity, or drainage site.
Description of the Related Art
Various medical articles, for example, catheters, cannulas, sheaths, etc., are often introduced into a patient, for example, in an artery, vein, body cavity, or drainage site, to deliver fluids to, or withdraw fluids from, the patient. For example, a catheter or vascular sheath can be introduced into a patient's blood vessel using the Seldinger or a modified Seldinger technique. These techniques involve inserting an access needle into the patient's blood vessel and then inserting a guidewire through the needle and into the vessel. The needle is removed, and a dilator and sheath, either separately, or in combination, are inserted over the guidewire, through tissue, and into the vessel. The dilator and guidewire are then removed and discarded. The sheath can be left in the vessel, for example, to deliver medical fluids to the patient, or a catheter or other medical article can be inserted through the sheath into the vessel to a desired location.
A medical provider may need to bend and manipulate the sheath and/or catheter during insertion and/or after insertion during use. Although some existing sheaths and catheters have some flexibility to allow for such manipulation, existing devices may kink when bent to a certain radius of curvature, for example, a 90 degree bend. When medical articles kink, they can disrupt the flow of fluids within the device and hinder performance of the device. Additionally, some sheaths and catheters are more prone to re-kink or re-crease after initially kinking and may subsequently kink at an earlier point, for example, at a smaller angle of bending.